Mike Hanel

Mike Hanel
Age
35 Years Old
Location
Redondo Beach, CA
Main Sport
ATV > Off-Road

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What inspires you to compete?

I always wondered if I was as fast as I thought I was... and I knew that racing would also help me become a better, smarter, stronger rider.

Music?

I like all styles of music. I used to be a pro musician, including playing bass in a band called World Tribe. Playing music and riding off-road have a lot in common... timing is everything!

What has been your most embarrassing moment?

There are many to choose from... crashing at the BITD Las Vegas 300 was fairly embarrassing. A little humility & pain provided a definite reminder of what can happen during a race!

Why do you like this sport?

The adrenaline rush, getting in a zone and staying focused, the physical conditioning, being outdoors, quality time with family and friends, road trips, feeling alive, enjoying freedom and having FUN! The off-road racing community is a great thing to be associated with. There's a saying that "bad roads bring good people".

Employment / Experience Summary

You live many lives in one lifetime... son, brother, musician, husband, father, teacher. I currently teach biology at Fremont High School in South Central Los Angeles...

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Dad & Joe gearing up for the '08 BITD Vegas-to-Reno race!

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Thanks to all my sponsors!

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What do you think?

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	A.J. says: 9/6/2008 7:20 PM
	thanks 5****
	no replies

	RANDALL HERBRAND says: 8/29/2008 11:24 AM
	Hey, just stopped by 5*!! Great job at BITD!!! That is AWESOME!!! Peace and good luck in the future! -Randall
	no replies

	factorystar says: 8/26/2008 6:50 PM
	Mike, your team was flyin from Vegas to Reno... Congrats on winning 1st place in your class... Gave ya 5 stars Starr #22
	no replies

	Tyler Anderson says: 8/11/2008 7:18 PM
	Hey thanks man, No I have not done the colorado 500 but its on the todo list for sure. RAD PROFILE 5*****
	no replies

	KriStiNaSiMpSoN says: 8/8/2008 10:18 AM
	District 37 is awesome. If your not racing it, you should be. There are a few quad guys/gals out there!! Go to www.district37ama.org and check it out!! (I'm ~KAS~ on there.....)
	no replies

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Race Results & Commentary

Date	Event	Class	Result
8/22/2008	BITD Vegas to Reno	BITD - ATV Amateur Sportsman	1st place! It was amazing... While we waited for Fernie at Pit 1, we heard some disturbing chatter over the race radios that some pit crews were using. Esteemed pro-class ATV rider Wayne Matlock had gone down hard, resulting in injuries that would take him out of the race. For the record, his teammate Harold Goodman finished the rest of the race solo and scored 3rd place (Get well soon, Matlock)! Fernie started off great, coming into pit 1 so fired up that he said he felt he could ride the whole way to Reno! We topped him off with gas and sent him on his way to pit 2, where he would hand the quad over to Danny. Syd, Joe and I made our way to pit 3 where I would get geared up and ready for my first leg of the race (45.5 miles)… Please read my BLOG for the rest of the story!
5/17/2008	2008 BITD Blue Water Grand Prix		6th place - Parker, AZ... it was HOT!!! This race was like no other... we started out the morning pre-running the course. This is the only race in the BITD season that has any kind of pre-run before the main event. It's about a 10-mile loop composed of fire roads, rocks, hill-climbs, drop-offs, sand, silt, mud, pavement, railroad ties and a junkyard! Crazy... but fun!! There was a big pile-up after the GP-style start (also unique to this event), which we got caught behind. The dust provided little visibility on the first lap, causing my teammate to get a flat front tire. We lost valuable time in the pits before continuing on. We made up great time on the team that placed before us... we would've got them if we had one more lap! We completed 7 laps for a 6th place finish. The only people who passed me were Q1 (Wayne Matlock) and Q4 (Nic Granlund). Nic was WAY ahead of the competiton for the majority of the race, and I believe he nabbed the overall win for quads. This was the 2nd quad race of the '08 season in the BITD series. Vegas-to-Reno is next!
1/5/2008	BITD - Parker 250		3rd place - Fast, tough, 80+ miles per team member... we had a great time! Fernie, Danny and I all had a clean race. Some riders destroyed their quads trying to make it to the finsih line. After the race, our '08 YFZ 450 was ready to go another 250 miles! That's good, becuase that's what we're going to have to do to finish the Vegas to Reno race... The next ATV race in the BITD series is the Blue Water Grand Prix on May 17th.
12/1/2007	BITD Henderson 400		DNF - We almost made it! We lost the chain 2/3 of the way into the last lap. Danny, Fernie and I were all going fast and having fun. We ran hard, and had we been able to get rolling again, we would've placed in the top 3. It rained all day and night right before the race. The first 22 miles were the wettest, muddiest conditions I've ever ridden or raced in! The first 22 mi. were part of the car/truck course, and the 32-mile loop that followed was just for bikes and quads. The bike/quad course at the Henderson 400 is one of the most technical and challenging and rocky track out West. It's extremely challenging for riders and brutal on equipment. There were four laps around the 32-mile loop, adding up to 150 total race miles (we completed about 140). It was insane!
11/3/2007	BITD Avi 150	BITD - ATV Amateur Sportsman	11th place - FUN race!!! Lot's of sandy washes and crazy hillclimbs. The 36 mile loop was designed specifically for quads and UTVs (Rhinos & RZRs). We could have placed one or two positions higher, but my buddy stopped to help an injured rider on the 1st lap. Best In The Desert puts on amazing races! We're all looking forward to the Henderson 400...